Her head is shaking and her words are spoken for only my ears to hear, “You don’t, Alexander. Please. I would never make you choose.”
“I will always choose you.” Leaning down, I kiss her with my eyes closed and our lips embracing. I kiss her like it’s the first time and the last I’ll ever get. I kiss her to tell her how much I love seeing her in my T-shirts in the morning, her sweet smiles at night when she’s asleep in my arms, the way her hair shines in the sun not just today, but the way she shines her light into my life every day. Running the pads of my thumbs under her eyes, I catch her tears. “Thank you for taking a chance on me.” I speak from the heart, still utterly enchanted by her like that first day . . .
“Sara Jane?” I call, knowing she should keep walking. Rationally, I should have never circled the block. I should have kept riding on, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t not stop and talk to the girl who seemed to be put in my path on purpose.
She should go and never look back, but when she stops and turns back, the sun seems to brighten the sky, even though it’s still drizzling. The breeze picks up, sending a few strands of her hair to blow across lips that remind me of the roses in our garden—soft, pink, and delicate. She tucks her hair behind her ear without thought and blinks, her lashes fanning across the tops of her cheeks.
Brave and strong, she looks back at me and in her sapphire eyes, I find something I never thought I would again—hope. “Yes, Alexander?”
A smile bearing the rush of captivation I have for this girl surfaces. “Don’t talk to strangers.”
Sara Jane laughs, tickling my ears with her delight. She’s unexpected in every way and I doubt I’ll ever get enough of her. Just when I think I’ve sufficiently scared her away, my need to spend time with her will only mean trouble for her in the end. “Then I wouldn’t have met you.”
. . . “To be standing here with you today, Alexander, I never doubted that a moment where I took a chance, one where I would either walk away with a lifetime of regret or follow the destiny mapped out in your eyes, our paths were always meant to cross. I feel fortunate they crossed when they did, when we were meant to be, when you needed me most and I needed you. Thank you for circling that block and thank you for loving me enough to bring me back to life.” Reaching up, she touches my cheek. “Thank you, babe, for giving me this life and the next. For giving me an eternity with you.”
This time she lifts up and kisses me to the chagrin of the justice of the peace standing before us and the small crowd here to celebrate this day.
When our lips part and our eyes slowly open, the JP says, “I now pronounce you husband and wife, partners, and soul mates forevermore.” His hand sways out. “If you want to kiss again, now’s a good time to seal the deal.”
My arm wraps around her middle and I tip her back. Just as my lips are about to meet hers again, I whisper, “You’re mine now forever, Mrs. Kingwood.”
“I was always yours, but now it’s legal.”
“You’re so fucking sexy when you speak in legalese.”
She laughs. I want her joy and good times, her laughter, and her heart—wanting to consume her whole soul into mine. Our tongues caress as her arms tighten around my neck. This time when we part, she asks, “You never said what it was you owed me.”
“How about I show you,” I reply, waggling my eyebrows.
The insinuation is caught and she asks, “Should we wait until after the reception?”
“Absolutely not.” I scoop her into my arms amongst her squeals and giggles—and a whole lot of applause from our guests—and start walking back down the aisle toward the manor.
Her eyes go wide as I cross the terrace. “You’re serious? You want to have sex right this minute?”
“Yes.”
“They’ll know. Everyone will know we left to have sex.”
“So?”
“Oh my God. What will they say?”
“They’ll say we’re already married, and we can’t get enough of each other.” I wink. “Remember they think we eloped, so I’m pretty sure they know we have sex.” I would normally swing her body over my shoulder and slap her ass. Hard. But my Firefly is delicate in many ways these days, so I’m careful with her.
“My mother was right.”
“About?” I ask, wanting to trek the stairs quickly. I stop. This isn’t working. She may be delicate, but she’s also irresistible. I tighten my hold around her back and legs, and run the rest of the way up.
“Men are absolutely incorrigible.”
“If anyone can manage me, it’s you.” Her feet are set down in the bedroom, the door closed and locked. The teasing between us stops, and the atmosphere turns serious. Standing there in her white dress, looking every bit the angel she is, I admire her beauty. “You look stunning.”
She blushes.
She blushes as if I’d never kissed her or touched her before. She blushes as if we hadn’t been through hell to get here, our souls tainted by enemies looking to hurt us. She blushes and damn near drops me to my knees to pray at her altar. The sweet pink colors her cheeks, and she whispers, “I thought you were going to show me.” When she waggles her eyebrows, I swoop in, lifting her and setting her down on the bed.
“It’s gonna be fast and won’t be pretty—”
“But it will feel oh so good.” Her arms stretch languidly above her head as she tempts me with sinful thoughts of taking this angel and turning her into my personal succubus. She pulls the skirt of her dress up to reveal the garter around her thigh and the red silk between her legs.
“Red? My what a vixen you are, Mrs. Kingwood.”
Grabbing me by the lapels, she pulls me until I’m straddling her body. “I prefer queen these days.”
Four years of misguided searching. I thought I was on a hunt for a murderer. I attempted to find answers to gain peace. Justice. But even though I wasted so much time, experienced betrayal, grief, and almost lost my girl twice, nothing would have given me this—this feeling. This excitement. This happiness. God, this is what I’ve longed for. This is what I searched for, needed to feel whole.
Sara Jane’s light shines bright. Our love full of laughter.
Our future is filled with a joy that is only found in each other.
But as I look at her, I have a flash of pain pass through my mind. Even though I came home after being kidnapped, for some time it was in body only. My mind was back in that basement. I kept seeing Cruise’s bloody and pummeled face, and didn’t know if he was dead or alive.
Sara Jane told me to fight my way back to health of mind and body. Told me I was too stubborn to lie in bed too long. She sat beside me while I not just regained my strength and energy, but my clarity of mind. And I did.
Sometimes I would look at her, stare at my beautiful wife. So fucking lucky.